Keeping It Fresh

Today I have some darker, more moving music for you. Both songs today are very piano heavy, relying mainly on those graceful notes to convey so much emotion. This song is by solo artist Too Far Moon. Music like this is the kind of music that leaves you completely speechless. There is a heavenly allure to the song, and when you listen to the song, you don't want to break that silence. You don't want to let go of how that song pierced an arrow through your soul, and breaking that silence would be like pulling that arrow out. This is one of those songs that bypasses your mind and goes straight for your heart and soul. Too Far Moon writes the lyrics and produces all of his music, and the fact that he created a song as spectacular and heart wrenching as this is a bit bittersweet. Sweet in the sense that we are able to hear something that is so full of emotion and life. Bitter in the sense that he must have gone through something utterly heart shattering to write this work of art. Wh...

Today I have a remix of one of the most popular songs of 2015. But you see, I am not here to talk about the original song. That has been overdone and overheard for a while. No, today is all about how genius and well done this remix is. This was done by Balvin and Farruko, a duo of Latin American artists. Now what makes this remix one of my favorites is the fact that Balvin and Farruko totally embrace that Spanish and Latin American flair and add it to the song. What is great about this song is that Major Lazer made it a culturally ambiguous one. While it is clear that the instrumentals and beats are more inclined to one cultural style over another, there are a lot of these ethnic sounds that sound so great with the song. And because of this, having a Spanish remix is something that is new and innovative and very compatible. This has a really interesting twist of reggaeton in it, which makes it less noticeable because the original song is moombahton. A quick breakdown of moombahton, it ...

Today I have the newest single by The 1975. I am super excited for this album because we get to hear a different side of The 1975. Their debut album was darker, both lyrically and musically. But this song is a really bright and poppy song. More so than normal for The 1975. This is an album that is going to be filled with more color and more excitement, rather than having those darker melodies and more melancholy sounds. From what I gather with this song and the first single they dropped for the album, there is a lot more light heartedness to the musicality of the songs, even if the lyrics aren't quite so. This song is a lot funkier and more upbeat than a lot of the music we have heard from The 1975. This is an exhilarating and somewhat provocative pop song, something that the pop scene in general desperately needs. Instead of sticking to topics about love, sex, alcohol, and staying strong, The 1975 goes with topics that we all really feel on a day to day basis. Matt Healy captures ...

Today I have music to commemorate one of the greatest actors of our time, if not all time. Alan Rickman was a man who was not only talented, but had a true passion and love for the art of drama and theatre. For our generation, he is most known and loved for being the complex and multi dimensional character Severus Snape. Whether we loved this character, disliked the character, or couldn't choose between the two, one cannot deny the beautiful brilliance with which Alan Rickman carried this character. Alan Rickman never played a role. He embodied the character, gave the character depth and made them these elaborate masterpieces. In any movie he has been in, we can't help but be drawn the characters he embodies. Whether those characters have been good guys, bad guys, or animated characters, we are pulled towards the life he breathes into those characters. Giving them personality. Giving those characters trademark looks and sounds and movements. But above his acting, Alan Rickman w...

Today I have some music for you by a Finnish duo by the name Super8 & Tab. Now this is the trance music of old. I mean the original trance that we used to love and listen to. This is like rave throwback music, which is so cool because this style of music actually used to be really underground. And in a weird way, it has come back full circle and has returned to the underground scene. A lot of clubs and dance venues play house and trap nowadays, but you do have those more underground places which would be more likely to play music like this. That sweet and sensational trance music. It is really nice to know that this song came out in 2014, and that it still sounds like that old trance. This song is honestly kind of a masterpiece in itself. Maybe it is because it has been a long time since trance music like this has been put out, or maybe because it is genuinely freaking awesome. I like to think that it is a combination of the two, but then again, that is just my opinion. But this so...

Today I have music for you by one of the greatest rappers of all time. Kendrick Lamar is one of the most charismatic, witty, controversial, and real artists out there. What makes Kendrick Lamar one of the greatest is that he is not afraid of saying what he believes and what he sees to be true. One of the better known areas of focus is his perspective on racism in America. I don't know any other rapper or musician in general who takes on an issue as great as that. I mean his rhymes are so intense and full of content, with no thought to censorship or sugar coating. I won't lie, sometimes it seems like a little much, in more extreme songs, but in general, I am so damn glad that he raps like this. We don't have artists like this anymore. We don't have those artists who talk about what is really happening. I mean sometimes I cannot believe the things Kendrick Lamar raps about, but the thing is, he is so real and only describes that which he has seen or experienced. This is a...

Today I have some slower, more moving music for you. This song is by a finalist on the show The Voice. Matt McAndrew has a very soft and lovely voice, one that took him all the way to the runner up position. The thing about Matt McAndrew is that he sings with so much passion and blood. The music is what runs through his veins, and you can hear that immersion and power in his singing, and specifically in this song. He has a very strong voice that is capable of being both vulnerable but also a fiery expression of passion and emotion. This is possibly one of my favorite musical discoveries of the past few months. When I hear this song, all I want to do is sing with him. Matt McAndrew has a way of making us feel this song the way he feels it, and when I sing along to this song, I can feel that sense of pain and anguish. The song is so beautifully written, with lyrics that go straight to the heart. They are relatable and understandable, the kind of lyrics that make us remember those moments...